A Chain Reaction: Prequel to the Hunger Games
by NicoleFictionWriter
Summary: Set four years before The Hunger Games, Katniss learns to hunt from her dad, but with it has some consequences. And they are truly unbearable. From the "accidental" mine explosion to the reaping of Primrose Everdeen, everything is set up for disaster. Rated T for mentions of death.
1. Basic Skills

_Katniss' POV_

I felt a light poke to my forehead when I awoke to see my dad standing in front of me. My new hunting jacket sat on his shoulder, awaiting use. "Katniss," he said, "I'm going to teach you to hunt. You'll need to know how to get reasonable food when I'm gone. Your sister counts on you."

My eight-year-old sister, Prim, awoke to dad being loud, as usual. She streched her arms, yawning in the process. "Why are you guys so loud?" she mumbled.

Dad walked over to her, quietly. "We're loud because we're allowed to be. That and hunting are the only things that the Capital hasn't taken away from us yet."

I tried to rethink that statement. "_That and hunting are the only things that the Capital hasn't taken away from us yet._" I kept that in mind as mom served breakfast.

Breakfast in my house always consisted of things my dad caught or collected. He'd bring home berries and meat, but it was always rabbit meat. He'd sell deer meat for fabric and other items we needed at the Hob. Today, our breakfast was crunchy leftover bread and fresh berry juice with a hitn of sugar. After finishing, my dad took me outside to fit my hunting coat.

The coat was large, very large. I knew it would fit me someday, though. The trees rustled in the background, creating a very odd sound, as though the Capital was watching us. I knew they weren't, because the Capital didn't care about District 12. they only cared about bigger, more important districts that bring them better goods.

My dad and I walked to the gate that lines the outskirts of District 12. A sign rattled on the barrier, stating "CAUTION: FENCE IS ELECTRIC." My dad knew it was only a hazard when the Hunger Games were going on. That's when our electricity turned on. He led me under the fencing into a burrowed half-hole that led to the forest. He kicked a log near the first or second tree we came across. "It's okay, I won't let anything hurt you."

"Okay," I mumbled as I looked in the log to see my very own bow and arrow set. But was it mine?! "Is this..."

"Yup. It's your very own bow and arrow set. I made it just for you."

"Thank you so much, dad. It's perfect," I exclaimed as I leaped in to hug him. We continued on that day, coming across traps and other widgets my dad set up. Some of them caught fish, while others caught rabbits, but there was nothing quite like shooting a bird for the very first time.

We came back that afternoon, our hands full of berried we had picked and rabbits I had shot, many of which we traded in at the hob. We got new cloth for Mom, and a teddy bear for Prim. "Now, you take good care of that thing, because it costed me three rabbits."

Prim smiled at me, her eyes reflecting a gold color. "I promise, I'll take good care of him."

But a teddy bear was not the only thing Katniss would have to worry about.

_A.N-Sorry for such a short chapter, but the story will continue and I will try to relesase something every Wednesday evening, so if you like it, make sure to review and follow this story!_


	2. Peering into the Nightlock

_Katniss POV (I also changed from present to past tense)_

The crunching of leaves filled my ears as my boots smashed the dead pine needles and leaves from oak trees. The forest smelled of sap used to make maple syrup and animal droppings. However, the woods were a peaceful place to hunt with my dad. Rabbits swarmed around, making it easy to catch something for dinner. Dad lifted a trap which had caught a rabbit earlier. The meat smelled of grotesque dried blood. "This will make a nice stew," my dad said optimistically.

However, me being twelve, I could not understand why we always ate stew and stale bread for dinner. I knew we were poor and all we could eat were things we caught and made, but why not go to the hob and sell the things we worked hard for? I asked my dad this question, but his responce was because of the Capital citizens. They always get the good stuff. So do their pampered civillians of District 1, 2, and 4. District 4 is king of the fishing industry, so they have an easy access to good, clean, legal food that tastes good.

After catching four rabbits, we climbed under the fence and walked past the Mellark Bakery, past many residents' homes, and past our own house to the butcher's workshop. He skinned the rabbits for us, and we sold him the skin for a very low price. After stopping by there, we ran into the Hob, which is basically a black market trading place where people who really want to survive go. They have everything for clothing, food, and staying alive. We saw Greasy Sae at the counter, whom I'd only met a month ago.

"Why, hello, Katniss! And Mr. Everdeen, nice to see you!" she exclaimed joyously. I'd never seen Greasy Sae this excited to see my dad. "I was hoping you had brought us some rabbits, why I'm almost out of animal meat to make my famous soup!"

"I thought you used leftover deer parts for that..." I said hoping it wasn't true. I would prefer rabbit over deer leftovers any day. I may have been poor, but I still had a preference.

"Sometimes! Schucks, I'd take squirrel fat at this point. I feel like the Hob might go out of the black market-y business!" She stepped from behind the bar counter to go into the bartering area. Men with beer-bellies and long beards were having chugging contests and gears were grinding. I'd never seen a place so popular.

"Well, here you go, Sae. I hope you can make use of these small creatures." My dad handed her two rabbits and was given back a few coins. He stuffed them in his pocket and searched around the room. "Well, Katniss, we should go."

"Okay dad," I mumbled to him. We exited the loud eatery slash trading place and crossed few streets to get to our house. It was already dark. "Hopefully mom can make a tasty meal out of this rabbit meat and these berries I picked." The berries were a midnight blue and leaked through my hand. I went to pop one in my mouth when my dad chopped them all out of my hand.

"Katniss! Do not eat those berries. Do not touch them! If you eat them, you'll die almost instantaneously! I call them nightlock, because it puts you in darkness forever, and they look extremely alike to blueberries. I'd like you to wash your hands when we get home. Please."

I nodded, and kicked the berries that my dad threw on the ground. We knocked on the door of our house, and Prim opened it. "Katniss! Dad! You're back!" She went to hug me when I told her about the nightlock. "Oh, okay."

I walked into the bathroom to scrub my hands with the bucket of water on the wooden pedestal. The water was cold, but I dealt with it. I heard an unfamiliar noise that came from the corner of the room. I looked up above the bathroom to see a small black dot roughly the size of a bagel. An eye stared through. I raised an eyebrow, confused at what was happening. Was it the Capital? No. It couldn't have been! No one cared (and still cares) about District 12.

I shook my hands and rubbed them with a tatty cloth laying on the side of the bathtub. I opened the door of the bathroom that lead into the hallway and saw in the corner of my eye that the eye was following me. I quickly turned around to the the black dot covered with a metal of some sorts. I rolled my eyes and walked into the kitchen and dining area. Prim was sitting by the fireplace, staring blankly into space with her teddy bear in her arm.

Mom was cutting fresh vegetables from our garden in the kitchen when she layed the knife on the counter. "Honey, have you noticed any... cameras around the house? When Prim and I got home, there were bagel-sized black dots in every room."

I felt my heart skip a beat, and my eyes widened. "Yeah..." suddenly, static appeared on our atenna-controlled T.V and President Snow appeared. I gasped silently.

"I would like to announce that all ilegal activities will be... taken care of if we the people of the capital are aware of it. The peacekeepers in your District will take notice if suspicious activity occurs. Thank you."

I shivered, worried we'd be caught hunting. But no one cared about District 12, right? "Mom, will they toture us since Dad and I have been hunting?"

My mom came over to the chair I was sitting in and caressed my head. She planted a light kiss on the top of my hair and undid my one braid Dad had taught me to do. "No, they won't. I promise. No one cares about District 12." But she was looking outside, to see Peacekeepers lining the outer fence.

_A/N-Fantastic. A long chapter... I think. Hah. Anyways, what did you think? I would really like feedback because this is my fourth shot at a story and I was really hoping to make it popular. I plan not to include any lemons in this story because it doesn't fit anywhere, but PM me story ideas if you'd like. Thank you so much for reading and... K+ doesn't always make for a boring story, right? :D Right...?_


	3. No One Cares About District 12

_Katniss' POV_

Ever since the day I found out the Capital might be watching us, all I could ever think when we would go hunting is, "Will we be killed?" Mother thought the same thing when we'd lieave, but she did nothing about it. "Be safe," she had said not hours ago.

Dad managed to get under the fence even though President Snow claimed the Peacekeepers were watching us. I took a few large sticks and set them under the fence, which had slightly ripped my pants. I glanced behind me, hoping there wouldn't be any Peacekeepers watching. "Dad?" I mumbled.

"Yes, Katniss?" he sat down near the lake we'd visit to eat berries and nuts.

"If the Peacekeepers find out we've been illegally hunting, what will they do to us?" I looked up at him, my gray eyes shining as though I was a puppy dog.

"They won't find out, Katniss. You need to stop worrying about whether the Peacekeepers will find us. If anything, they might find a stray rabbit roaming throughout the streets from here in the woods."

"And dad, why have you been not going to work?"

He sighed, which wasn't a good sign. He picked up a stone and chucked it across the lake. It hit the dirt on the other side, then bounced into the water, creating a ripple within the lake. "They've been having technical issues with some of the elevators, so we can't go. I hear we'll be going back tomorrow, though."

I gasped. "But dad, what if you get hurt?! They can't let that happen! What if you get stuck in the elevator then you fall to the rock and everybody gets injuired!"

"Calm down, Katniss! Everything will be fine. I promise."

We walked home with squirrels and rabbits in our bags. I had left my bow and arrow set in the log under the second or third tree, so no one because suspicious that I was hunting. When we walked in the room, Prim came and subconciously hugged us. "I thought you guys were going to die! Mom says-"

"Prim!" mom inturrupted. "Come help me in the kitchen, okay? I need help making this medicine. You know how to do it." Prim nodded and walked over to where mom was, the kitchen, and immediately started shucking corn. Mom layed her wooden spoon down to come talk to Dad and me. "You know what Mrs. Hawthorne next door is saying? She's saying the Peacekeepers are going to find you, and arrest you. Her own husband is teaching his son to hunt. Do you know how much trouble you guys will be in? Katniss would be better off volunteering for the Hunger Games!"

"Mom?" Prim squeaked. "Is everything okay?" I could see her little throat gulping while she was handling the corn. I ran over to her, because being too loud was obviously a fault of Mom and Dad's conversation. I suddenly remembered what my dad had said not only four months ago.

_"That and hunting are the only things the Capital hasn't taken away from us yet." _I started to rethink that statement. Maybe the Capital has taken away hunting. They just don't aknowledge that they did.

We ate dinner in silence, and Prim and I went to bed only talking about what would happen. Since Dad was asleep, I really had nothing to worry about. "Do you think they will kill us?"

"No, Prim, I don't think they will. No one cares about District 12, but we do have to watch our backs. Anything can happen. Go to sleep."

_A/N-Sorry for such a short chapter, but I really want to get going with the story so this is how it turned out. I'll try to come out with another chapter this weekend._


	4. Routines

_Katniss' POV_

My bed squeaked as me and Prim tossed and turned throughout the night, worried something would happen to us. As we finally fell asleep, we held each other tight, knowing our sisterly bond would never fall even in times of poverty. No one wanted their dad to be in danger, even if the danger isn't very threathening. A good example of this is losing their job or not bringing home enough meat for everyone in the family to be full. These were the types of problems that only swarmed our minds when the Capital citizens didn't need coal, because instead they had hydro-electricity or something else fancy. But, they eventually switched back to coal because it's cheaper and the waste could easily be stored in the ocean.

Prim and I awoke to a bright and sunny day, and I figured school wouldn't be that much of a pain. Even though we lived in one of the poorest districts in Panem, we still had to attend school. Six days a week, in the months September through May. It got too hot in the summer, and that's when the Games would take place. The Games...

The Games started usually two weeks into June, or later, because of preperation. The dome would be built, the tributes would be reaped and pampered for the cameras, then they would be trained hardcore in the art of survival. The tributes would learn to throw knives and spears, or shoot arrows at people's necks. I never liked watching the Games, but I had to because of what happened in the Dark Days which is why we are the way we are now. District 13, now in ruins, rebelled agaisnt the Capital, causing a war. The Capital won, and shattered 13 into pieces. But some people suspect they might live underground. But to me, it sounds ridiculous. No one could survive underground. Where would they get food?

After long thought, with Prim still being asleep, I decided to awaken her, so she'd be refreshed to go to school. "Prim," I whispered. "Prim," I said a little louder. "It's time to get up. It's sunrise!" Oh yeah, we also had to get up at sunrise. "You don't want to be late, do you?"

She shook her head slightly, so I knew she was at least a quarter awake. "Five more minutes," she mumbled.

"Uh uh, you're getting up!" I took her hand when she went to rub her eyes in order to wake herself up.

"Is dad gone?" she asked. I glanced behind my shoulder to see his boots gone. They usually sit right beside him and mom's bed. I shook my head and Prim's bright face suddenly got darker. "I don't want him to go to work," she whined as she started to cry.

"No! No! Prim! It's okay. Everything will be okay. Just remember, no one cares about 12, and Dad's a tough guy. No matter, what, we'll still have eachother," I rubbed my hands on her shoulders to comfort her, like any good sister should. She wiped a tear away and stopped crying. Mom walked in, somewhat gloomy.

"Prim, everything will be fine. No one can get Daddy under all those rocks," she started to console her.

"Under all those rocks?! What if something goes wrong and they're stuck there forever?!" She began to cry again. Mom scooped her up, and held her small body as though she was only a little girl. I had remembered when she was so little, big blue eyes and glossy blond hair. She had a small nose like Dad and round cheeks like Mom and me. Prim stopped crying and stood on the ground.

I helped Prim get ready for school by quickly washing her uniform and braiding her hair. The dirty-blond strands fit perfectly together, considering it was tradition for girls to tie their hair in braids. I did one braid, but Prim would wear two. For school, we had to wear plain shirts with collars and brown skirts with white shoes. I could see a tail-shaped part of Prim's shirt popping out of her skirt. "Tuck your tail in... little duck!" I thought little duck suited her.

We walked to school which was only four blocks away, with gray clouds hanging above us. It started to drizzle when we were a few feet away from the door. "Have a good day," I said quietly, letting go of her hand. We walked in the door, then separating off to different directions. The day dragged on like a sloth in quicksand, and nothing was fun. We ate crunchy bread and beans for lunch, then continued to our classes. The bell just kept ringing, it felt like, and nothing ever came to a halt.

We walked home later that day, stepping in mud puddles just to amuse ourselves. A few more months of this routine went by, then suddenly, something changed. Everybody was tense at school, and even the teachers started stumbling over their words.

"Okay, c-class. W-we're going t-to study eh-eh-explosions today d-during s-sc-science. Don't w-worry, this is c-completely s-safe." I arched my eyebrows in wonder, because it seemed as though today was just a normal day. Except for the fact that everybody seemed as though there would be a nuclear attack from the what was left of District 13.

I started fiddling around with the explosives, trying to make a non-harmful bubble bomb (a bomb made out of rubber bubble. We all had to share.) when it hit me. Then, it literally hit me.

_A/N-Whoa! I wonder what happened? If you read the Hunger Games, which you should have before reading this, you should know what happened by now. The whole District is unaware of what actually happened within this whole... thing, but it started a lot of junk. If you like it, please review, and PM me for ideas on how to continue the story. Please do not submit lemons/smut. Thank you for ready! xoxo Nicole_


	5. Flames

_A/N-So, if you read the last chapter, you'd know that something went wrong... it amy have been Katniss' cheap expireiment, but it also could've been something else. At the beginning of this chapter, I will rewind slightly to explain what actually happened during science class._

_Katniss' POV_

My white shoes clattered noise in the hallway, but other than my footsteps, it was dead silent. Today was the day of presentation, when we had to show off our expirements that the government of 12 had to work so hard to get for us kids. My had to do with explosions, but it wasn't my first choice. Ben Reber was bringing in a bucket of water that he would then apply something mysterious to in order for it to change color. Melanix Deren was bringing in her diarama of a rabbit's organs. That one sounded easy, and I wanted it.

I kept walking down what seemed like the longest hallway in the world, when I stopped at the only 7th grade science class in the building. Our school was very small. I walked into the crowd of a whole 13 people that attended this class with me. Everybody was there. I sat in my seat, and glanced at the window to see carts of black coal and axes. People were walking out of a wooden building that was in danger of collapsing.

I focused my attention to the teacher. My train of thought wandered off in a daze when I suddenly heard my name being called. "Katniss Everdeen to the front please," she said sternly and Melanix Deren walked back to her desk with paper organs on a sheet of old cardboard. I took a glimpse at my teacher when she made her way to my desk to say my name louder. "Katniss Everdeen to the front. You need to present your progect as everyone else did." I nodded.

My slightly explosive expirement (that I had to share with five other kids) was waiting at the front of the room for me to show off. I had made a non-harmful bomb with a few other kids made out of a rubber bubble, a little bit of oil, and orange juice. (Freshly-squeezed, of course.) I pulled out the rubber bubble, which was very small, and inserted an oil packet and the orange juice packet into a gum wrapper.

"So, today I am going to show the impact of explosives on non-destrucable items. This is not dangerous, so please stay calm," I stated awkwardly. I pulled out a match and struck it against the wrapper with oil and orange juice packets. The acid was so it could explode and the oil was to catch fire. I set it inside the rubber ball before it could do any damage. A loud boom noise filled my ears, but it didn't come from my expirement.

I glanced out the window to see the coal and mining equipment catching fire. The oil barracks did not make anything better, however. They all boomed until nothing was left. Then, buildings started to cath fire. "Everyone get down!" the teacher screamed. I subconsiously disobeyed, and instead just stared out the window. "Katniss! Are you crazy? Get the hell down!" I blinked, realising this could mean a fiery death, and ran outside of the classroom.

Mrs. Smith, however, kept reaching after me, yelling to get down. I ran away, and my destination was to reach Prim. I knew her classroom number. She was class number 3, because it was the only 3rd grade class. The school started to catch fire too, and wooden planks were falling in the halls. I reached the far side of the school and entered Prim's class. The whole plase was a mess. Papers were scattered and books were falling. This side of the school (which was closer to the coal station) had already been caught.

"Prim!" I screamed. "Prim, where are you?!" I started to cry, even though the room was so hot that the tears were drying quickly. I heard whimpering coming from the corner, and I knew it could only be Prim. She was trapped in a corner, away from the fire. If I hadn't come sooner, she would've died. Tears were leaving her eyes, and drying away from the heat of the flames. "Prim, everything's going to be okay, just take my hand and we'll get out of here," I consoled her.

Although, there was no time for consolation. I had to get her out of there. Another plank of the school burned in the flames, and Prim started crying even louder. I took her hand, covering her nose to protect from the coal dust and ashes, and left the classroom. We ran out of the school, huffing to get air. The fire spread outside the building, to other places. It seemed like everywhere would just be a pile of ashes. I could hear splashing behind the crackling of fire. People were throwing water at the fire.

I took Prim to the other side of 12, where our house was, and tried to calm her down. We stood on the dirt road where people only walked; there were never any cars. She hugged me tightly, and I ran out of words to say. "It's okay, Prim. Everything will be fine. We're far away from the fire, and people are trying to calm it down. It'll stop, I promise. We'll be able to go back to school soon, and everything will be better." But I had completely forgotten to tell her how the fire started.

The government of 12 stepped in only 20 minutes after we went home, and the fire was put out in no time. Since Dad hadn't come back, I knew what had happened. I poked at the green beans Mom had grown, and bread she had bought from the Mellark bakery. She had a few extra coins from the rabbits I had shot a few days before.

"Prim, do you know what happened?" Mom stood near the dining table, rubbing her hands with a dish cloth. Prim shook her head while taking a nibble of her preciously delicious bread. "You know how Dad was working in the mines today, right?" I began to hold Prim's hand. She put her bread down and arched her eyebrows. She bore a puzzled expression.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Well, there was and explosion in a mine shaft today," I squeezed her hand tighter, "and that's what caused the fire." Tears started rolling down Prim's cheeks as I wrapped my arms around her. Her nasolabial crease strengthened, and that's when I knew she was going to bawl.

"But, how?" she murmmered to me.

"Prim, we don't know how," I began to cry, too. Prim's round cheeks flushed a rosy red from rubbing her tears. I wiped away a tear from under her eye when she started to cry harder. Mom just stood there, watching us, until she walked over to hug her wailing daughters. Tears from my mother started dropping on our heads. She buried her head in between ours and just cried. She cried with us. I sniffled one last time, and wiped Prim's tears away. "It's okay, though. Dad's watching us from up above. He'll protect us. And this time, it's my turn to promise something."

We all went to sleep in the same bed that night, and I remembered what my dad had said to me the first day he taught me to hunt. _That, and hunting are the only things the Capital hasn't taken away from us yet. _He was talking about being loud. But that had been taken away from us, too.

_A/N-Long chapter, ain't it? Hah. Sorry if I made you cry... I almost did while writing this! Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and, what do you think so far?_


	6. Snow

_President Snow's POV_

I walked around the control room of the Capital, which was a place only my subjects and I could enter. No one else could gain access. I paced back and forth, occasionally glancing at the misfortune happening in Panem. A disease was spreading in 11, a fire in 12, and shortage of workers in 8. Most of them had died. Cameras were still in the area of 13, so it was easy to tell if anything... unusual was happening.

I looked closer at the panel for 12. The fire was caused by a mining explosion that one of my subjects had set up. Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne along with many others were hunting, and I needed to put a stop to it somehow. But why did I have to kill their fathers? Because I like watching people burn. Isn't that why I jumped for joy when I found out the Hunger Games was arising?

I reverted back to the subject at hand; there were people dying. I never thought I would do anything very specific about these types of situations, but I did. I sent fire helicopters to help the District that was on the verge of joining 13. 13. I thought to myself, whom had forgotten to even take into account of what would be happening soon. The Reaping of the Hunger Games was only a month away, and everything needed to be prepared.

I rushed down to the formal ball area, where planners and other people involded with gamemaking had turned it into a Gamemakers' headquarters. One of the escorts sat in the corner, her high heels clicking against the floor. "Oh, Avalia darling, how are you?" I took her hand and planted a light kiss, as a gentleman should to a woman of such hugh power. Well, not as high of power as me.

"I am doing great, thank you President Snow."

"Please, call me Corialanus. Now, I understand that you would like to volunteer to do the Reaping of the Hunger Games this year, is that correct?" I tooke her hand again, and walked out to the garden.

"Yes, I follow in my mother's footsteps. She was a Capital citizen, just like you and I, but she wanted to do more with her life, and she just loved people. She figured helping to comfort them before they died."

"Yes, I understand. But, my only question is, which District would you like to escort, misses Trinket? I know your daughter, Effie, would love to follow in your footsteps!"

"Why yes of course, my Effie is about 16 years old now," she said with a happiness in her voice. "I think I would like to escort the District you are most worried about."

"Oh, you mean 12?" She nodded. "Why, perfect! I had planed you to escort 12 in fact. Perfect. We will make plans right away." I walked away, as Misses Trinket searched throughout the flower garden. I thought about it, and having the perfect person for the perfect job could mean victory down the road. And not victory for me, but victory for them. But their victory, may result in the death of many. Including me.

I told my trainees what to do in terms of preparing what would happen in years to come. I had a great list of revengeful plans that would eventually result in my death, half the popluations' deaths, and a calm, civilized, illegal-free country. My first step was to make sure something terrible would happen to that Katniss Everdeen. She is a strong one, and needs to be taken down somehow.

"Alright, so we'll make sure Primrose is reaped, then Katniss will take her place, because she just own't let something like that happen. Katniss will survive the Hunger Games, kill the other tribute without much harm done, then-"

"But you did say the girl was very rebellious, how could you work around that?"

"She wants a rebellion, we'll give her a rebellion." I then crossed off every mark and scribble I made, and wrote a new plan that will lay out the next eight years so perfectly, we'll know exactly what she's thinking.

_The next chapter will be written four years later_

_Enjoi-NicoleFictionWriter_


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